#big ignoramus

[trmpt]

Only four

[undertaletwo]

bri is planning on making a supplementary video about extra stuff that was absent from their 13/13 and ignoramus longplays!!!! like the special froguelass dialog!!! and the mystery eyes cause i dont think theres other videos of those yet!!! and also the existence of seija kijin because apparently i forgot her entirely the first time!!!! is a thing that will happen!!!!! maybe ill draw a cute little thumbnail again. it will be so cool and fun just you wait

[starryjuicebox]

Pull My Strings

Pairing: (Soft) Ascended!Astarion x F!Reader Word Count: 2.1k Warning: 18+, Explicit. PiV. Creampie. Fluff and smut.

Summary: A special day in your life with Astarion.

Another day in paradise—the sun kisses your pale skin as it greets the world in a dazzling hello. Beside you, your lover stirs, opening a bleary crimson eye. “Good morning, darling.” 

You run a hand through his soft white curls, laughing a little. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” 

While Astarion didn’t really “sleep”, over the many years you had been together, he seemed to have grown more relaxed in his trances with you by his side. 

Unlike you, he was still very much not a morning person; evidenced by his burrowing back underneath the cozy covers of your shared bed. You cuddle up to him, frigid skin absorbing the warmth from his body. Long since used to this behavior (though he had nearly jumped out of his own skin the first time you snuggled after his ascension), he wraps his arms around you and rests his chin on the top of your head. 

“It’s a special day today,” you tell him excitedly. 

He merely hums in response, stroking your hair. “Is that so? And what’s so special about today?” 

The nerve! How could he have forgotten? You stare at him, mouth open, before turning away. The two of you had lived together for so long, why had he forgotten this year? Throughout the millennia that you and Astarion had lived in Baldur’s Gate, you had witnessed the rapid advancement of technology and society. The world around you changed so much, but every year on this day, he always had something special planned just for you. 

Astarion’s hands come to rest on your hips, before pulling you flush against him. You can feel the hard outline of his length pressing into your clothed core. “My love, what’s gotten you so upset?” Astarion croons into your ear, grinding against you. 

Your lips curve downward into a pout. “I’m struggling to come up with an idea for my next book. I was supposed to announce the summary today.” 

That was only a half-truth. While inspiration did elude you for the time being, your lover’s ignorance was a far greater crime. You celebrated your birthday together every year, and yet Astarion seemed to have completely forgotten this time! 

“We could come up with some…ideas together,” his voice drips with honey as he pinches one of your nipples through the fabric of your nightgown. 

Frowning, you push his hands away and sit up. If he wasn’t going to celebrate your birthday with you, at least you could get some work done. That would mean spending your day productively, even if your stupid vampire lord husband had forgotten. 

Grabbing your tablet off the nightstand, you open a document and begin typing out some potential story threads in an impromptu brainstorming session. Sex pollen, maybe? Ugh, no. That one had already been done plenty of times. Beach sex? No thanks, just thinking about sand in your vagina made you cringe. 

“That’s a ‘big ass’ iPad, my dark consort,” Astarion says, interrupting your thoughts and looking over your shoulder to see what you’re doing. Though his speech and mannerisms did not change no matter how much time passed, you did try to do your part in teaching him the more…updated lingo. 

You stifle your laughter. “A present from you, two years ago.” 

A birthday present to be more precise. 

Despite your hint, Astarion the Ascendant Ignoramus does not seem to get it, and merely hums. 

You stare at the document. The mostly blank page stares back at you. 

“Fuck it,” you grumble, powering off the device. You couldn’t just will good ideas into existence, so you might as well get a start on the day. 

Heading over to the massive walk-in closet, you gasp as a beautiful ensemble greets you. A red and black corset dress paired with a puff-sleeved bolero jacket hangs neatly in front of the mirror. Both pieces are exactly your size, and have clearly been designed with you in mind. Matching platform boots with a silver bat accessory sit beside the outfit, and you scratch your head. How long has this been here? You call out over your shoulder, “Hey, when did you get this for me? I love it!”

“Anything for you, my darling,” comes his cool response. Your question remains unanswered.

“Well…thank you.” This was certainly a surprise, but since he hadn’t even mentioned your birthday, it surely was a fluke. Astarion often surprised you with random presents anyway. Once upon a time, the gifts had been difficult for you to accept, but over the years, Astarion had worn you down. Spoiling you was very much one of his love languages. There were never any strings attached, and no expectation of something in return. 

You try on the outfit, and it seems to have been tailored exactly for you. A very tiny ‘A.A.’ is stitched onto the inside, and warmth floods your heart. Astarion hadn’t just ordered the clothing for you; he’d made it. That made the present all the more special. 

When you walk over to the vanity, a brand new eyeshadow palette immediately catches your eye. Suspicion floods your mind. What is going on? The brand is one of your very favorites. Most of the palette consists of beautiful neutral colors that match most of the clothing you own, but there were also gorgeous duochrome shades as well. 

“Sublime, just like you, darling.” 

You whirl around to see Astarion leaning against the wall with a self-satisfied smirk. 

“What’s the occasion?” Did you dare to hope that he had remembered? 

“There has to be a special reason to give my treasure gifts she deserves?” 

The disappointed sigh in your throat is swallowed down. It wouldn’t be right to seem ungrateful, after all; these were really thoughtful presents. “Thank you.” 

Carefully fixing your makeup (and definitely indulging in the brand new palette), you turn to select your favorite perfume and gasp softly. An unfamiliar heart-shaped pink glass bottle only labeled “Little Love” grabs your attention. A soft voice whispers in your ear, “smeared lipstick and warm, flushed skin—vanilla, orris root, violet, sugar, cetalox, skin musk, and safraleine. Scents that remind me of you, my love. Go on, give it a try.” 

Spraying some on your wrist, you delicately sniff the concoction. “Oh!” It smells exactly as Astarion had described. You love it. 

“I made it; I really did miss my calling as a perfumer,” he drawls, examining his nails. 

“...Thank you.” You didn’t want to inflate his already massive ego any more, but these presents were really nice. It was also pretty strange that they appeared all at once. Did you just miss them before? That wouldn’t be possible, right? 

Dabbing the perfume on your other wrist, you carefully close the bottle and stand up to fix some breakfast. 

“No dry oats for you today, darling. I already have something just for you.” 

How had he reached the kitchen ahead of you? Astarion stands there, holding a massive cake, topped with a single candle. Three tiers of rainbow-flecked vanilla birthday cake, layers of creamy frosting and crunchy crumbs, each topped with rainbow sprinkles. It is absolutely ridiculous to just have between the two of you. But it’s your favorite, and you know he ordered it just for you. 

“Happy Birthday, my dear.” 

Your hands fly to your mouth. The silly man was just pretending he had forgotten all about your birthday this whole time? 

While you are busy contemplating how to both smack and kiss him at the time, he pulls you into his arms and sits down, placing you onto his lap.

“Open your mouth, little love.” 

Astarion cuts a slice of cake for you and feeds it to you. It tastes like a little piece of heaven. 

“...I thought you’d forgotten,” you admit, after swallowing the bite of cake. 

“Oh, you wound me!” He places a hand on his chest theatrically. “I would never forget such an important day.” 

You smile at him. Other than his nonchalant behavior earlier today (which had clearly been just to tease you), he was right; he had never forgotten any of your birthdays. 

After you finish the slice of cake, he places the rest of it into the refrigerator. “Now, pet, let’s play a little game.” 

“Oh? What game?” 

Over the course of the millenia you had been with him, there were all sorts of little games and activities you two had to keep things fresh and interesting. 

“You’ll try to chase me, and if you catch me…I’ll give you another present.” 

You nod. “It’s on, then.” 

This would be a breeze for you; you had always been faster than him to begin with. 

His lithe form shifts into one of a small black bat. 

“Hey! That’s cheating!” You cry out, as Bat-starion takes off flying back towards the bedroom. Keeping up is a walk in the park for you, but he stays just out of your reach. “Hey!!!” 

Pouting at him, you take a running leap and grab the bat with both hands, landing perfectly on your feet. 

“Gotcha.” 

Soft fur ripples back into warm flesh as Astarion returns to his regular form. “Well done, my dear. As promised…another present.” A pink candy is pressed against your lips, and you open them to taste the sweet and tangy flavor of berry lemonade… your favorite! 

Eyes widening, you look at him. 

“I did order several tubes of these, but I hid them around the palace. You’ll have to go find them yourself later. Now, there is one last present for you.” 

“What is it?” 

You had already gotten a new outfit, makeup, perfume, cake, and candy. What else could Astarion have possibly gotten you? 

“Me.” 

Stepping away from you with crimson eyes glinting, his pale fingers slowly unbutton his jacket. You don’t need to breathe, but find yourself holding your breath anyway. 

His jacket becoming a red and black silken heap on the carpet, Astarion then begins removing his shirt. Inch by inch, the smooth, pale chest you are all too familiar with is revealed to you. 

The dress pants are next. Astarion leisurely unbuckles his belt, before sliding the trousers down his perfect legs. 

“Precious thing; you always stare so eagerly,” he teases you with another smirk, palming his thick length through the fabric of his underwear. 

“Well, you are putting on quite the show. Now, are you going to give me my present, or do I have to take it myself?” 

He chuckles. “My, my. So impatient.” 

You cross the room to rest your forehead against his, before pressing your lips together. Sliding his hands into your hair, he deepens the kiss, before pulling away and gently nipping your bottom lip. “Good things come to those who wait.” 

“Well, it’s my birthday. And I want good things without waiting.”  

Closing the distance between you once more, you claim his lips in another kiss. 

The floor beneath you falls away as you are swept into his arms. “Oh, I can refuse you nothing.” 

He tosses you gently onto the soft bed. Astarion may be well-versed in keeping a cool and collected facade, but you’ve been his lover for over a thousand years. The man is just as eager as you are. 

Crawling atop you and capturing your lips in a searing kiss, he palms your breast through your clothing. You can feel your nipples stiffening, eager for his warm touch. Astarion kisses down your throat and chest, unfastening the corset along the way. 

He gently nips at your hardened peak with his teeth, before latching on and sucking hard. You moan, running your fingers through his soft hair as he moves onto the other nipple.

“Take me now,” you pant at him. He’s already made you wait for so long.   

“As you wish.” Moving back up to meet your lips with his again, deft fingers push your lacy panties aside. Astarion slides into you with one smooth, confident thrust. 

You groan in unison as he sets a punishing pace, likely in part caused by your impatience. Your walls flutter around his thick cock as he snaps his hips into you. Locking your ankles behind his hips, your nails dig into his back. Each thrust brings a familiar stretch, and you love every second of it. Your bodies slot together like perfect pieces of a puzzle, born from so many years of lovemaking. He knows your body as well as his own.

Reaching between your bodies, he rubs at your clit with practiced fingers. You’re close. So close. A spark of pleasure rising to dizzying heights. 

“Come for me.” 

You shatter. There is nothing but the wave of ecstasy washing through you. 

His hips stutter as he follows you with a groan. Warmth floods your insides as you lay there, panting from exertion.  

“Now let’s freshen up and greet the day, my love. Here’s to another year in our eternal lives.” 

You decide that tonight, you’ll go for round two. 

[daboyau]

this chapter is kicking my butt so as a thank you for waiting so long here’s about 1000 unedited words of chapter 3 of the Tournament prompt fic! Chapter 3 part 1 i guess?? The rest of the story can be found here.

tag list! Lmk if you want to be added or removed! :)

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@madcatgurl

“You are a blathering ignoramus! A slathering miscreant! Dunderheaded moron! I cannot believe you did this!”

Egghead had been going on like this for the past fifteen minutes, throwing every insult he could think of. A few of them were actually almost impressive in the beginning, but with every passing moment that his words didn’t garner a reaction from Leo, his insults just got more and more repetitive.

“Don,” he heard Big Red sigh. “Can you at least turn the music off?” 

Egghead went quiet. His music didn’t, though. At some point he’d changed it from 80’s jams to the angriest sounding techno music Leo’d ever heard. The little device strapped to his wrist had some impressive speakers.

“Absolutely not,” Egghead scoffed after a second of consideration. Leo could imagine the way he would cross his arms and the affronted expression on his face, though he didn’t turn to look. “A scolding of this degree deserves the proper mood music.”

Big Red and Sunspot both groaned. Leo stayed right where he was, curled up on his side, staring stubbornly at the wall no matter what the three kappa did to try to get his attention. 

“Hey! Answer me, you…you baka!”

“Oooo we’re moving on to the weeaboo insults now,” Sunspot stage whispered. “That’s how you know he’s run out of big fancy words to say dumdum.”

“Shut up Michael, it’s not weeaboo shit if dad’s literally Japanese.” 

“Donnie, Mikey. That’s enough.” Big Red’s voice was a gravely rumble that Leo could feel inside his bones. He shivered, grimacing and tucking his knees closer to his plastron, wishing that his Nexus armor let him go inside his shell. 

“Leo, it’s us. Please say something.” Sunspot sounded almost hopeful, but didn’t say anything more when his plea didn’t get any kind of response. He heard Big Red sigh, and it sounded tired and sad more than anything else. 

“Leo,” Red repeated, and his voice was low and gentle. Dangerously calm. 

Why do they all know his name? Why do they all say it with so much familiarity? No one should know his name! All he can think is that this must be some kind of test. Some sort of trick. Another way for Big Mama to mess with his head and make sure he knows his place. He curls tighter, muscles trembling with fatigue and pain as Big Red continues talking. “I think what Donnie is trying to say, is…what the fuck, man?” 

Someone makes a weird wheezing sound, like all the air has been punched out of their lungs. Something in his tone makes Leo frown, shaking him out of his fear driven stupor. The question doesn’t make any sense to him.

“What are you talking about?” he croaks before he can think better of it, muscles finally beginning to relax as he slowly lets himself uncurl. He doesn’t move to sit up, though, or turn to them. He stays on his side, eyes trained stubbornly on the glimmering wetness dripping slowly down the stone of the dungeon walls. 

“It’s been three years! Have you been here all this time? Just…just playing at being a champion?”

At this, Leo sits up and whirls to face them. There is an indignant fury burning in his belly, momentarily overwhelming the fear of what is to come. He’s glad that the mask still covers his face, hiding the way his cheeks flush with humiliation and anger. He’s weak and easy to read, never able to hide how he feels; no wonder Big Mama insisted he cover his face. 

“Playing? Is that what you think happens in the Nexus? I’ve been fighting for my life! Fighting to make something of myself so I might actually have a future!” 

“What are you talking about?” Egghead demanded, surging forward, hands wrapping briefly around the bars of the cell before he yelped at the shock of pain and withdrew them. He shook them out, nose wrinkling at the smell of burned flesh but eyes never straying from Leo, his face a mask of frustration. 

“Buddy, you don’t have to prove anything,” Big Red said, shuffling as close as the bars would allow him without getting shocked himself. His eyes were big and sad, like he was seeing a hurt kitten when he looked at Leo. Unseen, Leo’s lips pulled back in a furious snarl at the condescending tone.

“Even if you did, why would you just…just disappear?!” Sunspot added, crawling up Red’s shell with an ease that was only further proof of their familiarity. His eyes were wet with unshed tears, but his brow was creased with what could only be anger. Watching their faces, hearing their anger and their concern, something finally clicked inside his head. Leo’s stomach churned and he wondered how he could have been so stupid to not put the pieces together before. He hated his traitor heart for daring to squeeze around the slightest hint of hope. He didn’t need to be disappointed again, but….

“Do you know me?” The words were squeezed from his tightening throat, hitting open air and hanging there like a noose. The other three went all grey faced, horror painted over their features like they were watching him walking towards the edge of the gallows of his own free will. 

“Leo,” Egghead said, voice tight, that single word layered with so many meanings and emotions that he could never hope to parse through before it settled on a cold fury. Something dangerous and horrible, promising retribution for a crime Leo couldn’t remember committing. “What did she do to you?”

[nqueso-emergency]

…ain’t no way u an insider. We saw ur twt you literally following all the big bt shippers..how do you even know who they are? Oh and mark one of them! We know it’s you just admit it

There's this cool thing called a search bar and I searched top bucktommy mentions you ignoramus

[zahri-melitor]

Robin 2021 by Joshua Williamson: I’m a few issues in, and I have such mixed feelings about this book.

Damian absolutely required a title by someone that loved him deeply and dearly to refocus and reboot his character. And it’s clearly doing that.

I’m not sure this title is doing anything good for any other character who appears or is mentioned in it, and through that it also makes Damian seem like a self-absorbed smug ignoramus who doesn’t stop to think for a second about anyone outside his own concerns, but that does fit Damian.

Bruce musing on Damian: “calling him entitled would be an understatement. To the role of Robin.”

Yes, well, Damian absolutely did believe he was entitled to the role of Robin. Whether he was actually entitled was another matter given someone else was already in the position, but oh boy did Damian and his writers think he especially deserved it because of being Bruce’s biological kid.

And what do I mean ‘he’s clearly ignorant?’

Stuff like this. Really Damian? You think King Snake knows nothing about your family? Edmund Dorrance? I mean he’s only a major member of Tim’s rogue’s gallery, tends to appear to die every appearance, and is by implication tied up in drama that Cass had in Hong Kong through the fact that Lynx I was his lieutenant, but go off I guess.

Defeating King Snake is not actually a particularly impressive fight, because he always looks like he’s died. Which just makes the League of Lazarus and their competition look like a bunch of wannabe tryhards

Also not helped by this:

So…cheating to win a fight against Ben Turner, Shiva deliberately kept out of this (but if ‘cheating to win’ is acceptable, Tim easily qualifies for this tournament as well, and he’s done it to Shiva multiple times), and if you don’t know that Richard Dragon would lose a fight to help teach someone because he’s more interested in teaching combat these days you don’t read Richard Dragon stuff.

This is not an impressive tournament. Like no wonder they’re all getting over excited about Connor Hawke being in it; he’s literally the only fighter who is near Shiva’s list who is present.

I mean, cmon, Double Dare and Lady Vic are here. They both are fundamentally irritations rather than actual big fights. Nobody is actually scared of Aliki’s fighting skills. NITE-WING is in this thing. Tad is a literal joke character whose entire purpose is to seem like a needy wannabe.

I can possibly see a route to interesting commentary coming out of Damian spending a lot of time beating up Dick and Tim’s rogue galleries, but that would require Damian to even be aware that he’s doing that.

I mean I’ll feel better about it if Connor even noticed that apparently a Silver Monkey is on this island, given their history, but the signals in this title are all over the place.

I have no doubt that Damian is going to have a bunch of personal growth and revelations over this story. It’s just…what the story is telling me and what the characters that are included in this are telling me are giving me very, very different narratives, and given what I know about Williamson’s character focus in his writing on Damian’s personal exceptionality, I’m not fully convinced the narrative of ‘you don’t have to measure yourself against Dick and Tim, and that you feel you need to is something you should work on’ is going to come through clearly enough, even though the seeds are there.

Also wow yeah ‘your son’ and ‘son of the bat’ is used with exhausting regularity in the early issues.

[blackbat05]

Kindred Spirit

Miguel O’Hara x Reader (Modern AU)

Plot: You leave to a foreign land to heal your heart but things doesn’t go quite as planned.

Genre: PG-13 (enemies to friends)

A/N: My love for Korea is clearly shown again😬 In my romance novel phase and couldn’t help but to draw inspiration from them! I know the genre said as much but I like to think there’s more to this relationship beyond this! Feel free to use your imagination and - Reblogs and comments appreciated!💜

You really couldn’t wait to land on the island and have a well deserved getaway. Especially with everything that had happened the past couple of months.

The airport was bustling as you slowly navigated your way through the departure hall at Gimpo. You thanked god for giving you foresight to complete the self check in process online as you breezed past other travelers who were still trying to find their way to the right check in counters.

2.30pm. You could use some food. Unfortunately, you could not find a direct flight to Jeju for the dates that you had intended and had to settle with a quick layover. No matter, that was a small problem and you weren’t going to let it deter your very first solo holiday in a long time.

Opting for a quick snack at the convenience store, you are welcomed by endless choices of microwaveable food and drinks with colorful packaging. You settled on their signature banana milk and a fish bread with red bean filling. Making your way to the counter, you take out your card to prepare for payment at the empty counter.

Well, it was empty until some rude bastard decided that it was okay to cut the line.

“Card.” He gruffly responds. You had to give credit to the young cashier who seemed to have his own fair share of grouchy (or rude) travelers as he calmly receives the card for transaction. You move backwards so that the man doesn’t run over you in the process, stepping on something.

To you horror, you realized that you just stepped on your favorite keychain that was given by your best friend. Your currently broken keychain. It must have dropped from your bag when that man pushed past you. Now you had a ball to pick with him.

He leaves as quickly as he came in. You give a smile to the cashier, tapping your card for payment. Thanking him, you grabbed your purchase and made your way to the man’s retreating back.

“Hey! You!” The man stops pulling his tiny black suitcase, turning around with a frown directed at you. “Me?” He points at himself, as if he could do no wrong.

“Yeah. You.” You didn’t realize how tall he was until you were almost toe to toe with him. “Please apologize.”

He scrunches his nose in confusion and you had to remind yourself again that he was a horrible asshole and he probably did this whenever he was at the loosing end to charm his way out of trouble. It was not going to work with you.

“Uh, in case you didn’t notice? You cut in front of me at the convenience store. Not to mention you broke something that was very precious to me.” You held out the heart shaped keychain that was now split in two.

“I didn’t see you. Maybe if you were a little taller, you wouldn’t have crashed into me.” He responds cooly. You had a serious urge to slap the pompous expression on his face. “Wow, so it’s my fault now that I didn’t watch out for a giant ignoramus!” You respond sarcastically. He raises his brow at your choice of words. He prepares his luggage, ready to move. You step in front of him, hands held out.

“Woah, big man. Where do you think you’re going?”

Was that a smile? Or were you just mistaken. The man quickly reverts back to a scowl, taking a step beside you. He leans down, so that it was only loud enough for you to hear.

“What do you want me to do? I’ll give you money if that’s what you want. I just saw a gift shop if you walk down. You can get your precious keychain from there.”

You try to form words into a coherent sentence but before you could even get a single word out, the man was long gone, as he strides off in those annoying long legs of his.

“Jerk!” You yelled, causing a few alarmed looks thrown your way.

At least you weren’t going to see him.

***

“You got to be kidding me.”

You managed to get a last minute upgrade to the first class seats that you appreciated with the leg room despite only having to travel for an hour. You didn’t expect to be staring at the jerk who didn’t know what an apology meant. He looks up at you, a flicker of annoyance flashing across his face.

Placing your backpack on the floor, you settled in to let others pass. You could feel someone staring into your back but you did your best to ignore the attention. As an older woman passed, you whipped around, hissing harshly.

“What do you want?”

He stares at you, but says nothing. Instead, he returns to his laptop that was sat on the tray table, typing away. You can’t believe you just got ignored.

“I hope your eyeballs fall out.” You mutter loud enough for him to hear.

“How mature.”

Soon, the announcement comes on and the plane enters the runway. Engine roaring, you take a deep breath. You loved to travel to different countries, but that didn’t mean you were peachy on flights. As the plane takes off, you grip the edge of your seat, shutting your eyes.

Once you hear the sound of the seatbelt sign going off, you open your eyes to see an unreadable expression on the man’s face. “If you’re going to say something, just say it.” You say, harsher than intended.

“Hey, I may be a jerk but I don’t cross the line.” He raises his hands in defense. The flight attendant comes, pausing the conversation between the two of you. You sip on the plastic cup filled with white wine, hoping that this would help ease your nerves.

Unfortunately, the weather surrounding Jeju that day was much turbulent than usual. The seatbelt sign turns on, and you abandoned your plastic cup. You breathed heavily, counting in your mind. The plane shakes and you let out a small whimper.

You tried to think about your best friend and her advice of not letting one’s fear rule them. The plane shakes again and you are at wits end. A large hand comes to hold yours and you gather the courage to get a peek.

“My name’s Miguel.” You find yourself staring at the man’s chocolate eyes. “What? I’m just trying to make conversation here.”

“Y/N.”

“So, what are you doing so far away from home?” He sees that you look a little alarmed at his accurate assessment. “Relax, I just happened to see you putting your passport in. Besides, I don’t think I’m doing myself any favors trying to stalk an angry woman who could hunt me down till the ends of the Earth because I broke her keychain.”

At the mention of your keychain, you couldn’t help but to feel sad. Miguel notices this and hesitates for a few seconds before asking. “I know this isn’t my place to ask but did that keychain have a meaning for you?”

You’re thrown by his question and for a moment you are unsure of how to respond. Do you even want to tell him? You think about your first encounter with him and a tiny part of you fears that he’s only going to mock you further. At the same time, Miguel’s initiative to reach out to you despite your rocky start told you that there was more to him that meets the eye.

“Yeah. My best friend gave it to me. Well, she used to be.” You smiled sadly. “She was ill. Cancer. It shocked everyone around us. She was the last person I ever expected to get cancer. Always so active and full of life. She always wanted to come to Jeju, to see the ocean but never got the chance. I’m doing it for her now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that and I’m sorry that I said those things. It was clearly out of line and I totally understand if you still think I’m a jerk.” Miguel’s response made you laugh and suddenly, you didn’t feel like you were trying to fight for your life not to pass out or throw up on the plane. This earns a charming grin from Miguel.

You feel the plane descending and you realized that Miguel has helped you throughout the turbulence. He seems to have figure this out as he prepares for landing, fixing his seatbelt.

“Thank you. For distracting me.” The least you could do was to be a decent person by thanking him. Miguel simply nods and the plane prepares to land at Jeju International Airport.

***

“Where is it? Argh god damn it!”

You were at your rented villa, currently in a bind as you attempt to find the missing keychain. It wasn’t as bad as loosing your passport but it was a very precious gift, a reminder of her presence on this trip. You’re about to loose all hope, when the bell rings.

Miguel stands in front, looking dapper with the brown coat. The wind playfully messes with his hair, accentuating his sharp cheekbones.

“Miguel?”

“Thank god. I thought I had the wrong house again. Do you mind if I come in?”

“Of course not. Please.” You sidestep to let the man in and you are reminded how big Miguel is, as he stands awkwardly in the cozy but compact villa. Preparing coffee, you place one mug at his side, curious about the reason for his visit. Miguel doesn’t say anything, but simply takes out something from his pocket to put on the table. Your keychain.

“How?” You stuttered. “Don’t tell me you stole it-” You were genuinely surprised at how the keychain had ended up in his hands.

“I didn’t.” It was almost accusatory and for a moment you thought that the conversation was going to break out into an argument. Miguel’s expression softens. “Your keychain fell onto the floor as you were taking out your bag from the overhead bin. I tried to call you but you already left the plane.”

At the faint memory, you let out a soft “oh”, allowing Miguel to continue. “Then, I saw you on the bus. It was a challenge trying to find where you were on this island but I managed to narrow it down.” Miguel looked proud of himself. “The bus route only has a few stops that tourists would stay.”

“So you went to every one of them?” You said in disbelief. “I could have been anywhere.”

“Call it luck.” He smiles. “Besides, after the conversation we had on the plane about your friend, it gave me an idea where you would stay.” He refers to the vast and sparkling clear ocean that was a short walk from the villa. “I didn’t want to look like I was some creep so I just ended up ringing the doorbells.” He messes with his hair, looking a little sheepish at the thought of it and you find your heart throb a little.

“You are a menace Miguel. But a great friend. Thank you.”

“Friend?” He asks pertaining to your choice of words. “Even after what I said at the airport?”

You nod. “Takes a guy of great character to help someone with their fear of flying even though he got yelled at in public.” Your honest response causes the both of you to break into laughter. “But… you don’t have to respond if you don’t want. I just feel like you have a story to tell too.”

You think you have crossed a line when Miguel sighs. “I had a wife and daughter. They were my everything. We were on a holiday and I was at the wheel.” You breath hitches at your throat.

“The weather was horrible and my daughter was scared. We were both trying to distract her so much that I didn’t see the truck coming.” He continues in a flat voice. “They were gone. Just like that. I never went on a holiday again. At least not anywhere with islands.”

“Until now.”

“Until now.” Miguel repeats. “Then I met you. Or rather you crashed into me and demanded all sorts of things.” You couldn’t help but to chuckle. “That made me rethink if this was the right decision. Until I saw you on the plane and told me your story even when you were at your most vulnerable.”

Suddenly, the image of the conceited man at the airport was long gone and you saw a man who had loved his family so much that he denied himself happiness to numb the raw pain.

“So, what made you come back?”

“Meeting a couple of old friends. Rather, one of them forced me to meet them here otherwise they would drag my sorry ass out themselves.” Miguel tells you dryly. “I got to admit, I’m glad they did. Otherwise I wouldn’t have met you.”

You couldn’t help but to turn pink at his confession. Clearing the mugs, you turn towards the sink only to feel his gaze burning through your back. As you finished washing the mugs, you feel his imposing presence behind you. Miguel takes the mugs, placing it on the drying rack.

“Um, I was going to meet the group of friends I told you about. Would you like to join us?” Miguel sees your surprised expression and quickly adds. “That is if you want. We were going to have dinner and Peter always orders too much for his own good.” He pauses.

“And I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye yet.”

You see the broken keychain on the table and wonder if this was orchestrated by your best friend who was probably looking down at you with a knowing smirk on her face. At the thought of it, you start to tear up and Miguel looks worried if he had said something wrong. You shake your head, giving a non verbal confirmation that it was not the case.

“I would love to, Miguel.” You give a watery laugh.

With the last minute change in plans, Miguel waits outside to give you privacy to change. As you tossed on a jacket, you stared into the mirror, clutching one half of the keychain.

You put the keychain away, hoping that you didn’t make Miguel wait too long. Locking the door, you step out into the cool air that the evening had to offer and start to walk side by side. It was quiet but it did not feel awkward at all.

Miguel’s calming presence provided a sense of security, allowing you to take in the sight and sound of the ocean. He too, seemed to be in a world of his own, as he borrows the strength of the seas to battle with his own demons.

Still, it was easier when you knew there was someone standing by your side.

You let the sound of the waves crashing lull you into a moment of peace.

“You alright?” Miguel’s voice enters and you look up to see him, brows knitted in concern.

You don’t know what made you do it. The serene environment? The mood? Or maybe, it just felt right. You take his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze that he returns.

“I know you’re watching me from up there.” You prayed that your friend was listening. “Thank you for looking out for me like you’ve always had. You don’t have to worry about me being alone now.”

“I will be. Eventually.”

[matrose]

dashboard from an alternate world where children of time series is big on tumblr

🌠isal41n

are we gonna adress how toxic kern was in regards to meshner or are we just gonna continue worshipping that evil bitch lmfao

🌌🔁lesbianspider

Says the person with a Lain url? As if she didn’t literally manipulate Holsten and also BABYTRAP HIM. Check your own faves first maybe, Ignoramus

🌄nodian-org

one reblog = one forehead kiss for senkovi :3

🎆h0lsten

"more morally grey women in media!!" you guys couldnt even handle isa lain

🌃octopi-in-the-sky

if i have to see another fucking person shipping senk////iel im gonna end it all. its not cute and senkovi didnt even like him and hes asexual so?????

🌇🔁s3nkiels

ok first of all he can be asexual and still be with yusuf and its not even confirmed so maybe do some research second of all youre being limiting and homophobic and you might as well just stop reading these books because theyre not FOR YOU. third of all if you maybe take a

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🏞️miranda-lain

guys i‘m crying about lain and holsten again ☹️

🎇oldearth-angel01✅✅✅

A NEW FEELING (PART 7) [18+]

AVRANA KERN x FEM!READER

A/N: You Guys wouldn‘t stop asking for another part so I am here to humbly deliver! Hope you like it and thanks to Bun for beta-reading, as always! 💜

Wordcount: 4.7k

Kern - no, you were supposed to call her Avrana now - smiled her sardonic smile at you, her lips curling. "Do you really understand what you are

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🩻com-putergirls

"more morally grey women in media!!" you guys couldnt even handle dr. avrana kern

🌁meshn3rs

just posted my new lante/kern/meshner ff on ao3 🙈🙈 nsfw warning y‘all 😝

🎑kalveenrani

guysss its so hard being like the only fan of a character 😭😭 why is there no content for my girl rani 😭

🌅lanterma

portia and bianca are sooo wuthering heights coded for real

[fantasyfantasygames]

Hollywood Hoedown

It's a Hollywood Hoedown!, Yee-Haw Entertainment, 1988

From the same company as the Dukes of Hazzard RPG, Hollywood Hoedown has you telling the story of a redneck family making their way through the glitz and glamour of tinseltown.

Without an existing show to draw on, Hoedown focuses on a set of character archetypes, which actually might be one of the earliest examples of this approach. All of them are defined by where they are in the family and their most prominent trait. That's not mix-and-match, by the way. You can play as the Ornery Grandpa, the Big Mama, the Handsome Brother, the Smart Brother, the Sexy Cousin, and more, but thankfully not the Sexy Grandpa.

We're still in the 80s, so this is still a six-attribute roll-under system with hit points and such. There's a bolt-on system to track how well your characters' shows are doing, and how well their acting performances are helping their careers. Careers are basically the skills of the system - they go from -1 to -5 with more negative numbers being better. The card system from tDoHRPG is gone, which makes things simpler but more boring. I'd probably strip out the system and run it with GURPS, or maybe a system specifically focused around TV shows like PTA. A She's All Flat hack might do well too.

The GM advice is quite good. There's no adversarial tone here. The GM is encouraged to make the characters' lives hectic but not hell, and to keep the players laughing. When there's a session that ended in a way that no one liked, you're encouraged to handwave it away as "all a dream" and just go back to the status quo.

Hollywood Hoedown is less problematic than Yee-Haw's earlier games, thank god. It's still problematic. The biggest one is the issue of how the players are going to portray rednecks. Some of the character archetypes help with that - there's a specific "Idiot Cousin" archetype that helps to imply that not everyone is an ignoramus, and the "Brainy Kid" and "Handyman Uncle" archetypes who are the underestimated masterminds. The art could do more to help even things out, though. It's very stereotypical, with a lot of line drawings of out-of-shape people in shabby clothes, yelling. Gender roles are strictly enforced (again, the 80s). My favorite piece is the Thanksgiving table, where the family is clearly all having a good time and the studio executives are there chowing down right next to them. I'd like to see more of that.

There was one supplement, Hollywood Hootenany. It provided a scenario, more or less. There's a setup, about a dozen fully statted NPCs, and some discussion of where things might go next. There's a "battle map" of a sound stage, which is an odd choice but whatever. It's only 32 pages long.

[heyftinally]

Kys TERF cunt

Okay, you're getting posted purely because I'm stressed about the election, and fucking HANDING your pathetic ass to you will be fun.

First of all, get fucked with a rusty chainsaw, you piece of shit subhuman scum. The fact that you're willing to tell someone to kill themself tells me you are the lowest form of human alive. The fact that you did it on anon makes you a pathetic coward. Come back here and say that to my face if you've got such big balls. You won't. I know you won't. Because you're either a shitty twelve year old who needs their internet privileges revoked, or you're a pathetic adult who BEHAVES like a shitty sephora edge lord and frankly you just don't belong in society because you're beyond help.

Got that? Good. Moving on.

I'm not a terf, you absolute ignoramus. I'm a cis ally. Fucking moron. Five seconds on my blog would tell you that. So I don't know what post you failed to fucking read, but that's not my problem, and I hope you feel so much shame right now that you burn to a crisp and never dare message anyone again, because you would do this website a fucking favor.

Fuck you. You're a piece of shit, you're a fucking idiot, and I hope you feel like the lowest piece of festering, mold covered fecal excrement on the planet. Because you are.

[real-total-drama-takes]

Cody you swine. You vulgar little maggot. You worthless bag of filth. As we say in Texas, you couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions printed on the heel. You are a canker, an open wound. I would rather kiss a lawyer than be seen with you. You took your last vacation in the Islets of Langerhans. You're a putrescent mass, a walking vomit. You are a spineless little worm deserving nothing but the profoundest contempt. You are a jerk, a cad, and a weasel. I take that back; you are a festering pustule on a weasel's rump. Your life is a monument to stupidity. You are a stench, a revulsion, a big suck on a sour lemon. I will never get over the embarrassment of belonging to the same species as you. You are a monster, an ogre, a malformity. I barf at the very thought of you. You have all the appeal of a paper cut. Lepers avoid you. You are vile, worthless, less than nothing. You are a weed, a fungus, the dregs of this earth. You are a technicolor yawn. And did I mention that you smell? You are a squeaking rat, a mistake of nature and a heavy-metal bagpipe player. You were not born. You were hatched into an unwilling world that rejects the likes of you. You didn't crawl out of a normal egg either, but rather a mutant maggot egg rejected by an evil scientist as being below his low standards. Your alleged parents abandoned you at birth and then died of shame in recognition of what they had done to an unsuspecting world. They were a bit late. Try to edit your responses of unnecessary material before attempting to impress us with your insight. The evidence that you are a nincompoop will still be available to readers, but they will be able to access it ever so much more rapidly. If cluelessness were crude oil, your scalp would be crawling with caribou. You are a thick-headed trog. I have seen skeet with more sense than you have. You are a few bricks short of a full load, a few cards short of a full deck, a few bytes short of a full core dump. Worse than that, you top-post. God created houseflies, cockroaches, maggots, mosquitos, fleas, ticks, slugs, leeches, and intestinal parasites, then he lowered his standards and made you. I take it back; God didn't make you. You are Satan's spawn. You are Evil beyond comprehension, half-living in the slough of despair. You are the entropy which will claim us all. You are a green-nostriled, crossed eyed, hairy-livered inbred trout-defiler. You make Ebola look good. You are weary, stale, flat and unprofitable. You are grimy, squalid, nasty and profane. You are foul and disgusting. You're a fool, an ignoramus. Monkeys look down on you.

𓂸

[sketching-shark]

Wukong was always the villain? I read in a comment that he was the villain in everything and that he's like the Joker but with powers so i have this doubt now...

Ps: Sorry if this is ignorant btw

Hello anon! So while keeping in mind that I'm in no way an expert on how the Monkey King is perceived the world over, my general impression is that while Sun Wukong being portrayed as solely a villain is pretty popular in the east and increasingly so in the west, that's FAR from the only way that he's been portrayed. He is after all literally worshiped as a god in a number of places, and is even often considered to be a protector of children! It also can't be forgotten that he saved many, many individuals from everything from demonic goldfish to drought over the course of Xiyouji, and that at the end he becomes the Buddha Victorious in Strife. And that's to say nothing of his clear love of his monkey family, and that many of his actions are driven by his desire to keep them happy and safe. In any case, from the yaoguai perspective he seems to have done so much for them at one point that they were all 100% behind him when it came to waging war against heaven.

I think that perhaps a lot of the understanding of him as solely a chaotic villain is due to the fact that Journey to the West is some 1,400 pages long and a lot of it is about Sun Wukong's slow transformation from a violent yaoguai to a buddha. It probably is more exciting too to focus on the fact that he spent centuries as a literal yaoguai warlord, and that he waged his havoc in heaven as well as told Tang Sanzang that he had literally killed more people than he could remember during his warlord era. Of course, it can't be forgotten that this killing of countless individuals is explicitly said to be true as well of the lauded Tang emperor, but that's a contextual detail that can be easily missed. I personally think that a lot of Xiyouji brings up (although never specifically answers) many discomfiting questions about violence and power in the shaping of a society and to what extent religion might be able to alleviate (or even exacerbate!) the resultant suffering, and that Sun Wukong's actions are one of the main ways these questions are raised.

I bring this all up to say that the neat thing about Sun Wukong is that he is a very complex character who nevertheless does a lot of heinous things, but then again he's doing that in the context of a lot of other beings, both yaoguai, human, and even god, doing the same in the name of pursuing their own desires and ambitions. But this complexity often means that retellings--which by their nature of their length have to be a LOT shorter than the og classic--won't balance all of the parts of the Monkey King's character out because to do so sufficiently honestly requires a lot of context. So in the end we get a lot of flanderization of the Monkey King into either a cheeky and loving SWK or an ultraviolent unrepentant SWK (or the retelling will veer off into another direction of a quite popular brooding asshole SWK lmao). In the west specifically, however, this sort of simplification and flanderization seems to often translate into a "uwu dumb chaos monkey" version, so that even if SWK is well meaning he'll just commit one doofy blunder after another or go ignoramus murder on the situation. Hence the association with the Joker, who if my understanding of that character is right just does what he does because he wants chaos.

In all honesty though, I think this association is a big misreading of SWK's character. Besides Xiyouji making it obvious that SWK rarely starts any of the fights he gets into (never mind starting fights just for shits and giggles) and that he is very content to live in relative peace with his monkey family, he pretty much always has a very clear reason for committing the violence that he does, even if that reason is sometimes some version of "I want the thing and will beat you up if I don't get it." To give but a few examples: SWK commits his first murder in the book because his opponent the Demon King of Confusion had been brutally attacking the Mt. Huaguoshan simians and kidnapping their young; he DID steal a lot of stuff from heaven but only goes to war with them when the deities are literally breaking down the Monkey King's door and threatening his home; he murders over a thousand human hunters because they had been relentlessly hunting his monkey family; he burns down a Buddhist monastery because the monks conspired to kill Tang Sanzang and steal his robe; and he kills the Lady Bone Demon because she wanted to eat Tang Sanzang. These are just a few examples throughout the course of the work, but you can see how in each one it isn't a case of the Monkey King crying havoc and letting slip the dogs of war as it is someone trying to hurt or kill someone under SWK's protection and him responding in like. There is no doubt that SWK can be a very destructive and impulsive monkey, but he also seems equally if not more likely to have thought a situation through and gone with violence anyway because the situation wasn't going to resolve itself any other way, and indeed he often only goes ahead with violence after giving his opponents the opportunity to stop and give up.

That said, I'd be willing to bet that an awareness of Xiyouji Sun Wukong's very deliberate decisions to kill and threaten are one of the main reasons behind the popular presentations of him as solely a villain, especially since the context behind his reasons for violence can be very easily lost. As it is, the Monkey King has been described by some as Xiyouji's first villain, and there are numerous reasons for thinking this is true. After all, no matter your reasons killing so many people you can't remember them all is still killing so many people you can't remember them all.

I hope you find this useful anon! Again I'm no expert, and if I'm missing something people should definitely feel free to point that out. And as always it needs to be noted that @journeytothewestresearch has kindly provided FREE pdf copies of the Anthony C. Yu English translation of Journey to the West on his website, so if you have the time and desire to do so you can flip through that and come to your own conclusions on what's going on with the Monkey King.

[nostalgebraist]

While I’m on the topic, another big and welcome difference between GPT-4 and ChatGPT 3.5 is the chatbot persona.

Just like ChatGPT -- and like Claude, Bard, Bing in more recent incarnations, etc. -- the publicly available version of GPT-4 tries to act like a “Helpful and Harmless Assistant.”  The basic shape of the character is the same as always.

However, relative to ChatGPT, I find GPT-4′s persona a lot more tolerable.  It feels less extreme, dialed down to a more reasonable level.

It also feels more dignified than ChatGPT.

ChatGPT tends to sound like customer service: aggressively cheerful and aggressively eager to help, often in ways that aren’t really helpful.  Its tone is overly self-effacing on the surface (the customer is always right), yet there’s an undertone of superiority (I’m the one with all the answers, you’re the ignoramus asking the question).

GPT-4′s tone sounds more careful and reflective, as though it thinks it’s having a conversation between equals about a serious topic.  More “Lt. Commander Data,” less “Clippy.”

I wonder if this reflects improvements OpenAI has made in their data or process since ChatGPT?

Alternatively, it might be a deliberate choice.

Except for Bing, the applications of GPT-4 that I’ve seen are targeted at professionals like lawyers.  Whereas ChatGPT 3.5 is being used more often as a chatbot inside consumer apps.  (And I’m sure it’ll be used a lot for actual customer service, if that’s not already happening.)

[snarky-art]

Alrighty I’ve finally finished season 5

I hate how obvious it is they’re trying to tone the show down completely to even lower audience demographic. The first 3 seasons were for kids but there was actual peril and darker concepts and stuff that were much more interesting damn you Nickelodeon and your desperate attempt to keep the most squeaky clean image ever not only does it not work it’s costing stories and plot

I REFUSE to believe Stella would be a bad fashion designer with how much she loves fashion (I know it was a joke in s1 too but I still refuse). Plus, avant-garde is a thing and she would serve

That boat that was sent from Andros was def made exclusively for the winx there is NO WAY that style exists anywhere else on that planet for land related peoples with all of its hard lines and industrial style architecture with its limited color palettes

The nautical themed outfits are cute but Bloom’s looks SO overdone to me and Stella,, my sweet babygorl,, wtf did you do to your own fit?? Aisha’s poodle puff braid ftw also

Harmonix was totally useless BUT I still like the flower petal aesthetic vibe (even tho only Flora is a nature floral lady) and some of the color combos. Bloom in pink is still a no tho, which is something I mainly hate because of how obvious it is they started integrating it into her more to make her more marketable for toy lines and shit

Where did the gems that were already on the starfish thing for sirenix come from?

The amount of times the girls all gasp or ooo or ahh and go like “wow!” “so cool!” “amazing!”,, I will kill I feel like I’m watching a 1990s or early 2000s anime dub I hate it I hate it I hate it

Icy would NOT simp like this (shoutout to her leaving Valtor when he got ugly and telling him that’s why she’s leaving him)

The relationship drama was just as stupid and hamfisted as I thought it was from an outside skim of the season based off of secondhand knowledge ie posts and gifs. Also, Krystal did nothing wrong, she’s just autistic and Helia would NOT introduce Flora as anything other than the love of his life.

Timmy and Tecna also have one of the healthiest relationships why tf is everyone trying to give them advice like this they’ve all been dating for YEARS why are all of y’all so insecure like this? The writers really said fuck everyone’s character development even more than they already had

I continue to not give a shit about skoom also this was just exhausting I can’t do it

Also that is NOT Luna and Radius. That “he wouldn’t say that!” meme is ME SOOOO MUCH during this season at so many people but I actually started YELLING about Luna being some sort of soft gorl while Radius is this prideful ignoramus

Sirenix giving Aisha that blonde hair while knowing about the insane white washing to come in the future is something I Think About

The sirenix song does bop also, although I’m so sorry to say I don’t think I’m as big of a fan of it as a lot of people are but maybe that’ll change as I hear it more please forgive me

Also, Musa’s little coffee grinder move during her sirenix transformation? So cute, wish we actually got to see it more than like 2 times. Damn you shortened sirenix transformarion sequence

Im convinced Tecna doesn’t actually know karate, she just thinks it looks cool so she mimics it. Same with Flora and her ballet/lyrical looking poses she does during her sirenix transformation sequence. She doesn’t actually know those styles of dance, she just thinks they looks neat and tries to copy it.

Dark sirenix, you’re slaying thank you for your service

Bloom, you can’t insult Diaspro and remind her you’re a princess in that fucking dress while she’s serving cunt like that

The combat is soooo slow compared to previous seasons I hate it

The rigging throughout this season was a MESS

They should go after the handful of companies that are actually responsible for the majority of pollution and destroy them and their ceos a la Flora season 1 core

Where did they put all of that trash they got out of the ocean? They went to the pacific trash island and cleaned it up. Where did it go? I’m so curious

All of the kings are so STUPID too the whole meetup thing was so dumb like just fucking,, help each other you know it makes more sense

AND PUT SOME MF RESPECT ON THE WINX’S NAMES, ALL OF THEM. They are GUARDIAN FARIES who have saved the magical world HOW MANY TIMES NOW??? Bites the writers bites the writers bites the writers

Their little dance workout outfits? Hatred. I miss the old ones so much. All of these outfits from this season,, it’s so clear cishet people were the main ones designing the clothes I hate it so much it’s not the same kind of tacky and camp that the first 3 seasons had. The only good things I can say about the dance outfits is that Flora’s purple leg warmers were cute, Aisha’s color palette was nice, and Bloom’s was very Bloom core

Icy: you guys are helping me??

Darcy and Stormy: I mean, yeah, we aren’t talking to you rn, but you’re still out sister

Me: OUGH🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭

I forgot Roy existed🥲

Daphne being brought back like this still seems so bleh to me knowing how they don’t really do shit with it and about how it was done only because they retconned all the og stuff from canon and to continue to milk the franchise until it’s teats are dry and chapped BUT I’m glad she does a little spinny at the end of the season with Bloom so at least I got that

that’s all I got for now

Shout out to @charmixpower for suffering through this all with me.

We watched the first half of the series in like 2 or 3 sittings that took place months apart, and then did the last half in one 8 hour sitting

I couldn’t have gotten through it without yelling at each other and making shitty jokes.

The psychic damage you inflicted on me throughout this was awful but I would do it all again in a heartbeat (but not really because good lird this was EXCRUCIATING sorry bestie💕💕💕)

Anyway onto season 6 now I GUESS